Kappa opioid mediation of cannabinoid effects of the potent hallucinogen, salvinorin A, in rodents.
Psychopharmacology June 1, 2010 D Matthew Walentiny, Robert E Vann, Jonathan A Warner et al. 49 citations
Salvinorin A, the active compound in the hallucinogenic herb Salvia divinorum, does not directly interact with the endocannabinoid system. Although some earlier studies suggested a link, this work shows that salvinorin A does not bind to or activate CB1 cannabinoid receptors. In laboratory tests, it caused reduced movement and pain relief, effects blocked by a kappa-opioid receptor antagonist but not by a CB1 antagonist. Salvinorin A also did not substitute for THC in drug discrimination tests. The results indicate that similarities between salvinorin A and cannabinoid effects stem from its activation of kappa-opioid receptors, and previous findings of CB1 antagonist reversal may be due to that antagonist also dampening kappa-opioid receptor activation.